


Again

by whattheheckdidyoudo



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: (brief mentions of bullying), Confession, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 09:37:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whattheheckdidyoudo/pseuds/whattheheckdidyoudo
Summary: “I was thinking. I’m like the end pieces on a loaf of bread.” Yosuke turned to Yu, obviously setting up a joke.“Why’s that?” Yu turned up to look at Yosuke.“No one wants me, but I’m always there.” Yosuke smirked.





	Again

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [For the Sake of the Magician](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14379723) by [DiLithiumDragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiLithiumDragon/pseuds/DiLithiumDragon). 



> This fic (in particular Yosuke's bullying) was definitely inspired by For The Sake of the Magician by DiLithiumDragon. It's very good, and worth a read.

“I was thinking. I’m like the end pieces on a loaf of bread.” Yosuke turned to Yu, obviously setting up a joke.   
    
“Why’s that?” Yu turned up to look at Yosuke. They had been “studying”, which meant that Yu had been studying, and Yosuke was attempting to make him laugh and get distracted. It usually worked pretty well for Yosuke, but today, Yu was awfully concerned with his upcoming history test.   
    
“No one wants me, but I’m always there.” Yosuke smirked, seemingly proud of his new way to mock himself. “Ends of loaves usually get thrown away too.” He winked at the end of that part.   
    
This is what Yu liked to call the Yosuke Setup. Yosuke would make jokes about how useless he was, or how much he messed up things, trying to get Yu to agree with him, but Yu would just calmly comfort him, until Yosuke gave up or actually started talking about his feelings.    
    
Yosuke did this when something was bothering him, and he wanted to talk about it, but he didn't know exactly how to bring it up.   
    
“I like the end of a loaf.” Yu smiled a little. “It’s my favorite part.”   
    
“Well, maybe that’s a bad examp-“ Yosuke started before Yu continued with his small, bread-related rant.   
    
“My great-aunt brought a loaf of bread from America once.” Yu continued. “It was cinnamon. I loved the ends of the loaf the most.” He smiled, clearly trying to convey some sort of affection to his brunette friend.   
    
“Okay, okay, partner. Geez, you're so weird.” Yosuke laughed before the smile started to slip off his face. “A kid in third year called me an idiot today. A girl in Kou's class called me Junes Bitch. I’ve heard worse. It shouldn’t have bothered me.”   
    
There it was. The Yosuke Setup in perfect display.   
    
Yu put his hand on Yosuke's back, right beneath his shoulder.   
    
"You know what I'm going to say." Yu said quietly, trying to catch Yosuke's eyes, which were now focused on his lap.   
    
"Yeah. I know you're going to say that it's okay that it bothers me, that the kids at school shouldn't be so mean to me." Yosuke's voice wavered. "You'll tell me that I'm... that I'm a good person, not a fuckup like they say."   
    
"I believe all of it, you know." Yu gave Yosuke's shoulder a friendly squeeze. "All of what you said is true."   
    
"I just can't get myself to believe it." Yosuke's hands started to shake and he held them in front of him, staring at them, as he always did before he started crying.   
    
"That's okay." Yu finally met Yosuke's eyes for just a moment. They were watery and guilty. "You don't have to yet. Just work on it."   
    
"You really should be a therapist one day." Yosuke smiled wearily.   
    
"Only if you promise to let me practice my amazing advice on you whenever you need it." Yu smiled but kept a serious grip on Yosuke's shoulder. "And I mean whenever. I can tell you want to talk about something else."   
    
"You know me so well, partner." Yosuke laughed weakly. "Someone left a note in my locker. It was all about how her family's shop was going to go out of business because of Junes."   
    
Yosuke got these notes at least once a week. Another kid ranting their problems with the corporate mammoth that recently shook the economy of the small town to Yosuke, who couldn't do anything about it, of course. Still, Yosuke felt guilty about all the troubles of the townsfolk and the children he went to school with.   
   
Yu and Yosuke had talked a million times about how there's no way in hell that Junes was Yosuke's fault. It broke Yu's heart every time Yosuke would slowly open another folded note. Sometimes, they came in pretty stationary, and sometimes, they were written on old scraps of paper. Sometimes they were delicately worded sob stories, complete with purple prose and flowery words, while others were crudely scrawled curses and threats.    
   
Yosuke always opened them. He always read them, even if they threatened his life in words.    
   
Yu suspected that he always hoped that a love note would show up in his locker. Yu could practically see the grin that would spread across his face. Yu could hear Yosuke's joyful voice in his mind when he imagined it.   
   
But right now, Yu wasn't hearing Yosuke's cheerful voice. Quite the opposite, actually.   
   
"I'm sorry." Yu said quietly as Yosuke laid his head on Yu's chest.   
   
"Her parents don't come home until midnight, they're working so hard." Yosuke mumbled into Yu's shirt. "Her mother almost fainted at work."   
   
"It's not your fault." Yu rested his hand on Yosuke's head.   
   
"I know." Yosuke said so quietly that if the air conditioning unit had been running, Yu may not have heard him.   
   
They sat in semi-silence for a long time. It wasn't quite absent from noise, due to Yosuke's occasional sniffles or whimpers. He was trying to cry as quietly as possible, but the quiet of the otherwise empty house did little to hide his hurting.   
   
Yosuke had cried in front of Yu before. Quite a few times, actually. Yosuke had never gotten over that shame he felt of crying in front of another person, though.   
   
After a few minutes, Yu started petting Yosuke's hair, making Yosuke immediately sink into him. Yu knew better than anyone how to calm his best friend down.   
   
They were both surprised when Yu smoothed a patch of hair down and pressed a kiss there onto the top of Yosuke's head. Yu didn’t even realize he had done it until Yosuke's head shot up and looked him in the eyes.   
   
"Oh, shit, I'm sor-" Yu's eyes widened in panic.   
   
"Do it again." Yosuke said boldly.   
   
"What?" Yu's eyebrows knitted together.   
   
"Christ, partner, don't make me spell it out." Yosuke immediately lost the nerve he had a moment ago.   
   
"Oh." Yu blinked a few times dumbly.   
   
A few seconds passed before Yu pressed another kiss to Yosuke's head, the side this time.   
   
"Again." Yosuke's face was bright red, but his voice was firm.   
   
Yu brushed Yosuke's bangs aside and pressed a kiss to his forehead.   
   
"Again."   
   
A kiss to the temple.   
   
"Again."   
   
A kiss to the cheek.   
   
"Again." Yosuke commanded once again.   
   
It was obvious where Yosuke wanted this kiss when he leaned in and placed a hand on the side of Yu's neck. Yu was more than willing, of course.   
   
The moment their lips touched, Yu could feel Yosuke relax. Yosuke’s hand travelled up his neck to run through Yu’s hair. Yu’s hand cupped Yosuke’s cheek delicately, as if to allow Yosuke an out.

“Were you okay with that?” Yosuke said as soon as he pulled back. “I didn’t pressure you, did I?”

“Not at all.” Yu smiled and pressed another kiss to Yosuke’s forehead.

“Shouldn’t you be kissing a pretty girl like Rise or Yukiko? Or, I guess maybe a guy. You know Kou from the basketball team? He’d be a good match for you.” Yosuke lowered his eyes to avoid Yu’s. “Y’know. Someone that isn’t me.”

“Yosuke, you shouldn’t-“ Yu was cut off by Yosuke.

“-put myself down. I know.” Yosuke sighed and buried his face in Yu’s chest again.. “I’m just saying that you have a lot of choices besides… me.”

“You’re my first choice.” Yu said. “Other people asked to hang out with me this afternoon, you know.”

There was a long silence. It wasn’t really uncomfortable though. Just two boys mulling over their own thoughts.

“I want to kiss you all the time.” Yosuke said slowly, as if he was struggling to find words, even simple ones.

“That can be arranged.” Yu smiled. The smile might’ve even been a little wider than usual, which didn’t say much, considering how small Yu’s grins always were.

“Okay. Kiss me again, then.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! :)
> 
> Check out my Tumblr (norskinuggets) and talk to me about being P4 trash.


End file.
